Why Buying Social is Good for Business: Leverage Your Purchasing to Create Greater Value

In this webinar you will learn about social procurement and why businesses should consider it as part of their purchasing strategies. Stephanie Pronk will share information on tools, resources and an online community available to businesses through the Social Enterprise Institute online learning platform. David Lepage, of Buy Social Canada, will take a closer look at what social procurement is, how to influence its growth in your sector and how to implement it in your organization. Don Palmer, Executive Director of Causeway Work Centre, will use a landscaping social enterprise as an example to demonstrate how businesses can support social enterprises as part of their purchasing strategies.

MHCC hosts free workplace webinars on the last Wednesday of every month at noon ET. Sign up today.

Suicide prevention is everyone’s business. Preventing a death by suicide does not always need an expert; it is something we all can do. We can all learn skills to help promote life and help someone struggling with thoughts of suicide. Join the Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Centre for Suicide Prevention as we discuss suicide prevention in the workplace.

Does the state of the economy affect the suicide rate?I’m concerned about my colleague at work…what should I say?I’m stressed out at work and not sure I can take much more…

Research tells us that there is a direct 0.79% correlation between the unemployment rate and the rate of suicide deaths. We also know that 70% of all suicide deaths in Canada are among working aged adults (ages 30-64).

The Mental Health Commission of Canada alerts us that businesses in Canada lost $6 billion in productivity costs to due to poor mental health in 2011. The human costs are equally as severe: stress, anxiety, absenteeism, loss of productivity, substance abuse, sick leave, strain on other colleagues, short-term disability and more.

Centre for Suicide Prevention works with corporate and public sector partners to educate and train employees and teams on simple steps for suicide awareness and prevention in the workplace.

Join us for this webinar focusing on the myths and facts of suicide, the costs and impact of suicide, warning signs, and how to respond after the death of a colleague. This webinar will also provide details about the Centre for Suicide Prevention’s education services and information resources available to all organizations across Canada. Content will feature our newest toolkit publication, “The workplace and suicide prevention”, available as a free resource on Centre for Suicide Prevention’s website.

This workplace webinar is ideal for business owners, organizational leaders, occupational health and safety managers, human resource professionals, managers, employees, and others who are currently on their journey – or interested in – implementing the Standard in your workplace.

This webinar will be presented in English. A recording and copy of the presentation will be available on the Commission’s website.

Join the Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Centre on Substance Use and Addiction as we discuss current workplace policies and practices in Canada.

Employers are increasingly challenged with difficult decisions on how to address issues of substance use in the workplace, including balancing public safety, employee productivity, human rights compliance, and providing effective and appropriate employee support among others. Proposed legislation to legalize cannabis has created an area of uncertainty as employers and employees attempt to discern between medical and recreational use and the impact on fitness for duty.

In response to increased demand from employers, practitioners, and other stakeholders wanting more information on, and knowledge of how to address, substance use affecting the workplace, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) conducted a broad study to better understand the issue and make recommendations.

This webinar will set the context of substance use and the workplace. The CCSA presenters will then discuss the findings from the study, which included an environmental scan of current policies, national survey, and key informant interviews. The discussion will finish with suggestions on how to apply some of the knowledge gained from the study in the workplace and ways to move forward.

State of Workplace Policies and Practices in Canada: Implications and Recommendations

Wednesday, September 27th, 2017
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET

Guest Speakers:

Bryce Barker
Knowledge Broker, Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
Shawna Meister, M.A.
Research and Policy Analyst, Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction

This workplace webinar is ideal for business owners, organizational leaders, occupational health and safety managers, human resource professionals, managers, employees, and others who are currently on their journey – or interested in – implementing the Standard in your workplace.

This webinar will be presented in English. A recording and copy of the presentation will be available on the Commission’s website.

Join the Mental Health Commission of Canada as we discuss an innovative community project, led by the Canadian Mental Health Association, that aims to increase employment opportunities for individuals living with a mental illness.

The unemployment rate of people with serious mental illness can be as high as 90% in certain segments of the population and many more people with mental illness are thought to be significantly underemployed or precariously employed. These statistics are particularly disturbing since productive work has been identified as a leading component in promoting positive mental health and in paving the way for a rich and fulfilling life in the community.

To assist people with mental illness in finding meaningful competitive employment, and addressing the stigma they often face, the Canadian Mental Health Association has implemented the “At Work/Au travail” program, a national collaboration delivered in 13 communities across Canada. This recovery-oriented program provides supported employment related services to individuals who have complex service needs related to a mental health illness and who want to find competitive employment in the catchment areas of the Agencies. The Program supports rapid placement, competitive employment opportunities, participant choice and retention services to assist in securing and maintaining employment, improving mental health, improving physical health, reducing hospitalization, increasing financial well-being, expanding positive social networks and integrating the community.

Join CMHA Ottawa’s Jason Platt, Ken Wright, and Charlene Moysey as they provide an overview of CMHA Ottawa’s services and programs, client success stories, and the activities they are undertaking to build relationships with employers and help support clients in their job search and retention. In addition, hear from two clients of CMHA Ottawa’s At Work program who will share their challenges and successes in their employment and recovery journey.

This webinar is ideal for individuals and organizations interested in learning more about the role of social enterprise in eliminating barriers to employment for people with mental illness including job seekers and employees, employers, employment agencies, and policy makers.

This free webinar will be presented in English. It will be hosted through the Adobe Connect platform which can be accessed with an internet connection. No special software needs to be installed on your computer, but you may be prompted to install an add-in to view the webinar in your browser.

A recording and copy of the presentation will be posted on the MHCC’s website in the weeks following the live session.

During this webinar hear from Jean-François Claude, a manager at Natural Resources Canada, who courageously shares his personal experience with mental illness and stigma. Jean-François will talk about his journey to recovery following an unexpected and sudden leave of absence from work, the importance of workplace support, and how public servants are stepping out of the shadows and sharing their stories to stomp out stigma.

Jean-François will be joined by colleague Jennifer Hollington who will discuss her efforts in creating healthy and respectful workplaces. Hear about the Changing our Organization through Respect (COR) initiative that she implemented while at Natural Resources Canada, as well as the work she is now involved in doing at Health Canada.

Jean-François and Jennifer will inspire you to take action and make a difference in your workplace.

MHCC hosts free workplace webinars on the last Wednesday of every month at noon ET. Sign up today to discuss psychological health and safety in the workplace.

This webinar will be presented in English. A recording and PowerPoint presentation will be available on the MHCC’s website in February 2017.
For more information:
Please visit the MHCC website or join the conversation on Twitter
#workplaceMH | #StandardCda

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Refugee Mental Health Project and the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) are pleased to invite health, settlement and social service providers to register for the Refugee Mental Health online course and related project activities.

To date, 3,500 service providers in Ontario have participated in this award-winning course. This online training is now available free of charge for 300 service providers outside of Ontario through funding from the MHCC*.

There are two self-directed online courses:
1) course for health care professionals, and

2) course for settlement and social service providers
*Spaces are limited and have been divided up by region in an effort to provide equitable representation.

The Refugee Mental Health online course presents the fundamental concepts of refugee mental health with a focus on the determinants of mental health, mental health problems and illnesses affecting refugees and best practices for treatment and support. A panel of experts in the area of refugee mental health is available to answer your questions, provide practical knowledge and offer practice information.

This interactive, self-paced course is held under the auspices of Continuing Professional Development, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

An online Community of Practice, webinar series, resource toolkit and monthly newsletter provide opportunities for networking, collaboration and continued learning during and after the course.

The Refugee Mental Health Project aims to build health, settlement and social service providers’ knowledge and skills regarding refugee mental health and promote inter-sector and inter-professional collaboration. We hope this initiative will help contribute to an informed, sustainable network of service provision.